Projection optical photolithography methods/systems that utilize the ultraviolet wavelengths of light below 200 nm provide benefits in terms of achieving smaller feature dimensions. Such methods/systems that utilize ultraviolet wavelengths in the 193 nm wavelength regions have the potential of improving the manufacturing of integrated circuits with smaller feature sizes but the commercial use and adoption of below 200 nm UV in high volume mass production of integrated circuits has been slow. Part of the slow progression to below 200 nm UV by the semiconductor industry has been due to the lack of economically manufacturable optical photolithography element high purity fused silica glass with high quality optical performance. For the benefit of ultraviolet photolithography in the 193 nm region such as the ArF excimer laser emission spectrum to be utilized in the manufacturing of integrated circuits there is a need for optical photolithography element fused silica glass and optical elements thereof that have beneficial optical properties and that can be manufactured economically and utilized with below 200 nm UV photons.
There is a need for photolytically improving below 300 nm transmission of lithography optical element fused silica glass.
There is a need for photolytically inducing below 300 nm transmission of fused silica glass.
There is a need for photolytically inducing below 300 nm transmission of lithography element fused silica glass which has non-impregnated hydrogen wherein H2 is incorporated into the fused silica glass at the time the glass is made by molten fusing silica particles together.
There is a need for quality improvement and photolytically inducing below 300 nm transmission of fused silica glass which includes SiH* species.
There is a need for quality improvement and photolytically inducing below 300 nm transmission of fused silica glass which includes SiH* species and a H2 content less than 2×1017 molecules/cm3.